The main maple tube splits in two for transport. Done by four brass hinge clamps which separate the secondary mirror from the primary. The mirrors are housed in Novak steel cells and the focusers were NGF-3 2" rack-and-pinion crayford. Junos were also offered with Sky Commander. Only about 15 in exsistance.

Vote Highlights

Juno 12.5 made by Richard A. Fagin

The mirror is truly superb. With Tele Vue eyepieces, prodigious planetary detail is visible (the seeing allowing), beating all odds for an f/4.5 reflector, and the aperture is more than adequate for thrilling views of deep-sky objects. The d'Autume equatorial table makes for good tracking. Because of the mirror's weight, it is difficult to carry the main tube component very far, or up & down stairs, but otherwise the telescope is easy to transport, set up and use. One of the best investments I ever made, and I feel privileged to be its custodian. One correction needed to the page: Fagin made the mirror, but the rest of the instrument was made by Andy Johnson (proprietor of Jupiter Telescope Co., Inc. -- on Saturn Street, no less) and by Ray Lawrence, with machining & carpentry skills second to none.

Excellent portable 12.5" scope where whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Much easier to set up than truss tube designs because of a unnique hexagonal wooden tube that splits in two for transport. Extremely portable. Fits into a compact car and sets up in no time. May be used with an altaz-dobsonian base or an equatorial table which tracks very nicely.

Optical tube has superb baffling yielding much higher contrast than you typically get with a scope of this kind. Optical quality is very good, but as with any scope this fast, collimation is critical. A great and highly portable deep sky scope. Provides excellent views of the planets too.